Today in the Republican presidential news, a billionaire endorsed a multimillionaire for president. We`ll talk shortly about the Donald and Willard who have a lot in common. They have a lot of money, and they like to fire people.

But we begin with the old saying, to whom much is given, much is required. That`s the message of fairness that President Obama has governed by. And it`s what he talked about today at the national prayer breakfast.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Treating others as you want to be treated, requiring much from those who have been given so much, living by the principle that we are our brother`s keeper, caring for the poor and those in need.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Caring for those in need. That`s the vision that will shape this presidency. A vision from the other side couldn`t be more different.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I`m in this race because I care about Americans. I`m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, we`ll fix it. I`m not concerned about the very rich. They`re doing just fine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: You got one thing right, Willard. You aren`t concerned about the very poor. If elected president, you said you`d raise taxes on those in the bottom 20 percent while giving the top one percent an extra $460,000 a year. Turns out you care about the very rich a lot, just not the poor because they have a safety net.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: I said I`m not concerned about the very poor that have a safety net, but if it has holes in it, I will repair them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Willard, we disagree on the meaning of the word repair. You support the Paul Ryan budget which cuts nearly $3 trillion from low-income programs like Medicaid, food stamps and low-income housing. You`d repeal the health care law that helps millions of poor Americans. Your policies would not repair the holes in the safety net. You`d make them bigger.

Today, the president laid out a very different vision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: If I`m willing to give something up as somebody who has been extraordinarily blessed, and give up some of the tax breaks that I enjoy, I actually think that`s going to make economic sense.

For unto whom much is given, much shall be required.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: A lot has been given to you, Mitt. Why don`t you expect more from yourself?

Joining me now is Congressman Barney Frank, democrat from Massachusetts. He`s also the top democrat on the financial services committee. Mr. Chairman, thank you for joining me this evening.

REP. BARNEY FRANK (D), MASSACHUSETTS: You`re welcome, Al.

SHARPTON: Now, let me ask you, Mr. Chairman, how can Romney say that the safety net helps poor people when he supports things like the Ryan plan that would shred the safety net?

FRANK: Well, I thought the most revealing thing about that, I`m glad you played it twice, was when Romney, who claims to be very well informed and, in fact if you talk about the tax code, if you talk about corporate tax breaks, if you talk about things that will help wealthier people, if you talk about foreign policy, he prides himself on how well informed he is. But listen to what he said about the safety net. If it`s broken, I`ll repair it. Now, we`ve repeated that twice. In other words, he has no idea.

He knows there`s one out there. I thought it`s very revealing. He cares so little about this issue, as he`s acknowledged, that he tells us, yes, there`s a safety net and if it`s broken, I`ll repair it. By this time, after having been a governor of my state for four years and not a very good one, having been a candidate for president twice, having run for the Senate, you would think he`d know about that. And the answer is this. We tend to know about things we care about.

So, of course, he`s supported things that would erode the safety net further. But even more revealing to me is his acknowledgment that he knows it`s out there and he doesn`t know what kind of shape it`s in.

And as the contention, if it`s broken, he`ll fix it. He doesn`t say that about the tax code. He doesn`t say that about environmental policy. He knows what he wants to do there. It`s only when the very poor - and by the way, let`s be very clear. When we`re talking about the very poor we`re talking about a large number of children.

SHARPTON: Absolutely.

FRANK: You may not have much respect and I can tell you there some are adults, I understand, who are the authors of their own misfortune. Not all of them by any means. But how can you be indifferent to poor children. How can you not care a lot about a 2-year-old, a 3-year-old, a 4-year-old who is born into these terrible circumstances and that`s callousness that I find appalling.

SHARPTON: Now, I think that people ought to understand he always says, well, it was taken out of context. But the second time we played it. Was him explaining his context and he said exactly what you said.

(CROSSTALK)

SHARPTON: Mr. Chairman, o SHARPTON: f him being taken out of context. Things that he says he seems to have a pattern of things that he just doesn`t --

FRANK: Can I tell you -- you and I have been in this business a long time. I`ve not always said everything I wanted. It is very clear in most cases, not in all cases because there some are deliberate misquotations, but in almost every case when a politician says I was taken out of context, he really means, I wish I hadn`t said that.

SHARPTON: That`s what he means. Let me show you some of that, though, from Mitt Romney.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROMNEY: I like being able to fire people that provide services to me.

ROMNEY: Rick, I`ll tell you what, 10,000 bucks? $10,000 bet?

ROMNEY: Corporations are people, my friend.

ROMNEY: Never get involved in politics if you have to win an election to pay a mortgage.

ROMNEY: I get speakers fees from time to time but not very much.

ROMNEY: I`m also unemployed.

ROMNEY: I`m not concerned about the very poor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: So, I mean, there`s this litany of statements that he says very affirmatively and then takes back later. Doesn`t understand, as you said, the safety net of poor people. He does understand he wants to repeal Dodd Franks, though.

FRANK: Yes, he does. He thinks we have been much too tough on derivatives. He thinks apparently that you should be able to make loans and then sell those loans and not care about whether or not the people are going to pay it back as long as you make your profit. He wants to dismantle an independent consumer bureau. He is very noisy about all of that.

And again, he knows what he cares about. He has no particular concern for the poor, including as I said, poor children. So he doesn`t know much about it.

SHARPTON: Now his opponent, his main opponent, Newt Gingrich, had this to say taking a shot at Willard and at President Obama at the same time. Watch this, Mr. Chairman.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Both Governor Romney and Barack Obama seem to believe that a, quote, "safety net is all the poor need." I don`t believe that. What the poor need is a trampoline so they can spring up.

(APPLAUSE)

GINGRICH: They don`t have the right to be given happiness by the government, which is impossible despite Barack Obama. You know, Obama believes - Obama believes he is so smart he could come here and take from the overly happy to redistribute to the underly happy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Now, Mr. Chairman, you talked about many -- a large amount of what we have as poor people in this country are children. When you listen to Newt Gingrich or for that matter Willard Mitt Romney, do you get the feeling they understand what even comprises poor people and when they are talking about children who themselves may be in poverty for any number of reasons. They are talking about being in charge of how we govern this.

FRANK: Not at all, although I have to say preliminarily, Al. For Newt Gingrich to make fun of Barack Obama because he says Obama thinks he`s smarter than he really is. For Newt Gingrich to criticize anyone for claiming to be smarter than he really is kind of like the three stooges accusing you of being silly. That`s Newt himself to a tee.

Secondly he just distorts it. We -- Barack Obama yourself, myself, we have been pushing for programs to help lower income people. The others want to kill community colleges by cutting off funds for safety. They are the ones who -- we had to fight to hard to increase tell grants, job trainings, all of those things like child care, the women`s infant and children`s program. This notion we want to keep them in poverty and give them sustenance. Yes, we want to do that.

But if you look at the program, I will tell you what I said about Ronald Reagan. I believe it`s true of Romney and Gingrich. Romney today because he didn`t used to take this - it`s an abortion. They believe from the standpoint of the federal government, life begins at conception but ends at birth. You force these children to be born but once they are born, the government signs off.

SHARPTON: Then the irony of all is today the house voted on a measure and in the measure, they actually say in the measure that the Bush tax cuts did not increase the deficit, but the facts are that, according to the CBO, the Bush tax cuts from 2001 to 2010 added $2.6 trillion to the debt. I mean, you can vote all you want. You can`t erase facts.

FRANK: No, I think today what you saw from the Republicans was their own particular form of Marxism. I keep using I guess newly analysis. This is Chico Marxism, when he said in the movie when he was caught with something damaging, who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?

You look at the -- by the way, they didn`t just cut taxes. Because they cut taxes while starting two wars, one of which was of course entirely unnecessary. No sensible person doubts that the Bush tax cuts caused an increase in the deficit. And I think it`s a sign of their understanding of their vulnerability that they passed this stupid law that says green is blue and red is pink and the world is upside down.

SHARPTON: Well, I mean, it was amazing, irrational vote. I must say maybe I`ll call you when we get off the air because I`m sure you saw some blueberry pie on their face when they left the chamber.

SHARPTON: And what`s really behind the controversial decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood? Surprise, it`s all about right wing politics.

Plus, protecting the dream, 40 years to the day Martin Luther King was arrested for helping people vote. Republican lawmakers are trying to roll back what he fought for.

You`re watching "Politics Nation" on MSNBC.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: The Republicans new odd couple, the Donald and Willard. That`s next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Welcome back to "Politics Nation." Willard`s getting hammered by the left and the right for his, "I`m not concerned about the very poor," comment. Both sides can`t believe how out of teach he is. So naturally, the best way to get away from that criticism is to show up in Las Vegas right next to the king of bling, Mr. Birther himself, Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It`s my honor, real honor and privilege to endorse Mitt Romney. Mitt is tough. He`s smart. He`s sharp. He`s not going to allow bad things to continue to happen to this country that we all love. So, Governor Romney, go out and get them.

ROMNEY: There some are things you just can`t imagine happening in your life. This is one of them. Being in Donald Trump`s magnificent hotel and having his endorsement is a delight. I`m so honored and pleased to have his endorsement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Honored and pleased. I don`t know. You don`t look too comfortable there. Check out the handshake. No one looks comfortable in this picture. In this case, what happens in Vegas definitely won`t stay in Vegas.

Joining me now is Bob Shrum, democratic strategist and a professor at NYU and Mark McKinnon, co-founder of the No Labels and a former adviser to George W. Bush and John McCain. Thanks to both of you for being here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy to be here.

SHARPTON: Bob, let me start with you. Is Donald Trump`s endorsement a blessing to Mitt Romney or a curse that will damage him even more politically?

BOB SHRUM, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, the polling data shows it`s actually even in Republican primaries a net negative. But he wasn`t going to turn it down. Those guys look so stiff standing there together.

And the one thing I would say is that this is not a Trump card to fix Romney`s problem which is through a series of gaffes and statements and some attacks by his rivals. He looks likes the -- increasingly like the face of unfairness in America. He looks out of touch and insensitive and callous.

And I contrast this with the Bush campaign in 2000 which Mark was very involved in where the frustration of those of us who were working for Al Gore but very effectively for Bush, he was identifying himself as a compassionate conservative. He was talking about the struggles of the waitress making $22,000 a year.

All of that`s anathema in today`s Republican Party. Somehow or other, they are going to have to get Romney turned. They`re going to have to deal with this image problem and Donald Trump`s endorsement doesn`t help with that.

SHARPTON: Well, I don`t know if they can. But Mark, let me go to you. Even the right wing "Wall Street Journal" today writes in their editorial, if Mr. Romney came across as less than compassionate conservative, he has himself to blame. This is "the Wall Street Journal" now saying that he is to blame for him coming off less than the compassionate conservative George Bush ran as.

And he responds to that by going to Las Vegas with the king of bling. You can`t get anyone that personifies opulence and over the top more than Donald Trump. That`s his response when even the right wing guys are attacking him.

MARK MCKINNON, FORMER BUSH MEDIA ADVISOR: Yes, reverend. It`s a real irony that he would go from a really bad day yesterday where he expressed he had -- wasn`t concerned for the poor but he is concerned enough about a billionaire real estate huckster that he grovels his way to Las Vegas to stand up with a guy and be endorsed.

And for the life of me, I do not understand why the Republican Party continues to hold up Donald Trump as a symbol of anybody that`s worth anything in terms of reaching out for an endorsement. I mean, this guy doesn`t carry a single vote. I think he`s a net negative.

And as Bob Shrum says, he compounds the image problem that Mitt Romney has. He is becoming a caricature of the worst kind of candidate that Republicans can put up in this environment where President Obama is starting to get a lot of traction with the middle class message. We`re beginning to nominate a guy who is doing his very best to claw his way to the bottom and portray himself as a guy who is completely out of touch. And he only compounds that problem by going to Las Vegas for God sake and standing up with Donald Trump.

SHARPTON: Now, let me ask you this, Mark. And I want to come back to you, Bob, on one Trump point.

But let me ask you since you raised this, Mark. And you`ve done a lot of image fixing, a lot of image projecting and working with Republicans.

I mean, when you read Goldberg`s piece in "National Review" today, he says the underemphasized dynamic this race isn`t that Romney isn`t conservative enough. It`s that he`s simply not a good enough politician. He may be the most electable on paper. Every time he seems to get into his groove and pull away, he says things that make people think he doesn`t know how to play the game. Is it possible to build an image around this guy? Is he just so bad and just so tone deaf there`s nothing you can do with him?

MCKINNON: Well, I think part of the problem is that the Obama campaign has gotten into his head a little bit and he realizes and his team does that the Democrats are getting a lot of traction on this middle class message and the middle class squeeze. And I think the problem is that strategically he`s not going to a place very natural for him.

And authenticity is critical in any candidate running for president. And so, that`s the problem when Romney tries to express himself as authentically concerned about the middle class. It`s just not a natural position for him. I mean, he should be who he is. He`s a successful governor, a successful business guy. And he just gets himself into trouble when he tries to project himself as somebody he`s not. That`s playing Obama`s game. He needs to play his own game.

SHARPTON: Now, Bob, let me ask you this. You are standing there. You look a little stiff with Donald Trump and your advisers, for whatever reason, have not stopped you from doing this on the day after you make this statement. And you are standing with a guy that said this about you as a job killer. Watch this, Bob.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Mitt Romney is a basically small business guy, if you really think about it. He was a hedge fund. He was a fund guy. He walked away with some money from a very good company that he didn`t create. He worked there. He didn`t create.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE REPORTER: He did create companies, though.

TRUMP: But, look. He would buy companies. He`d close companies. He`d get rid of jobs. I built a great company.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: He`d get rid of the jobs. I mean, he attacked this guy last April. Now he says today he`s a tough guy and will make sure nothing bad will happen to the country. I guess it wasn`t bad when he was letting jobs go in his private business.

SHRUM: Yes. Well, look. The Donald knows when the deal is done. He believes that Romney is going to be the nominee, wants to be with him.

But, you know, as you were talking and as Mark was talking about the way they looked at the stage and the tableau this presented to the country. I thought, you know, it looked like a ken doll standing next to Gordon Gekko.

So, you really reinforce both of Romney`s problems, his stiffness and his awkwardness. And as Mark suggests, the notion that he`s out of touch. And I agree that he can`t become the champion of the middle class, but he can`t look like a guy who doesn`t care about the middle class, doesn`t care about the poor and thinks only in these very large terms about firing people, about reorganizing companies.

I mean, he`s going to have to defend that business record and he is still going to have to put out the 2008 and 2009 taxes in which I suspect he played little or nothing which is why we haven`t seen them yet.

SHARPTON: Mark. Wouldn`t you, if you are a candidate, a day after he had this big win in Florida and this gaffe about poor people, if you are going to do anything today, wouldn`t you get some people that represented the middle class to come out and endorse your candidate?

I mean, if you had to go and get somebody from anywhere that at least looked like a blue collar worker or related to working for poor people if you are going to do any endorsement. That would be the next move today, wouldn`t it?

MCKINNON: Well, either that or pull a Sister Souljah and just say, thanks no thanks Mr. Trump. I don`t need your endorsement and I don`t want it.

SHARPTON: That would have made a headline but that would have been inauthentic.

MCKINNON: Well, that would have shown he was bold, that would have shown on his brash, would have shown some leadership. And I guarantee, I don`t think there`s going to be any Trump bump for Mitt Romney.

SHARPTON: Yes, but it might be a bump down. Bob Shrum and Mark Mckinnon, thanks for your time.

SHRUM: Thank you.

SHARPTON: Still ahead, justice for homeowners hurt by the Wall Street crash. We`ll talk with New York attorney general Eric Snyderman heading up President Obama`s new financial crimes unit.

But first, a Republican politician makes a big mistake on a bill. And reveals the GOP`s dirty little secret.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: In school when you pass off someone else`s work as your own, it`s called cheating. But what do you call it when right wingers do it trying to pass laws? We`ve told you all about the secretive corporate funded group called ALEC. They write model legislation to promote their far right agenda and then get lawmakers in states around the country to present the bills as their own.

It`s been effective, and it`s an effective way to pass similar right wing laws, different states from anti-abortion to pro-guns.

Well it was only a matter of time, but someone finally got caught. Florida state representative Rachel Burgin introduced an anti-tax bill last fall but she forgot to remove ALEC`s mission statement from the top of the bill which she had apparently copied word for word from ALEC`s model bill.

Common cause reports that the very next day, she took that bill down and put up the new bill with a new number without the ALEC header. I guess she was hoping that nobody would notice here what they were doing.

But let me give you some advice, representative. You were elected by your constituents. You answer to them and not a corporate-backed right wing group. You are not cheating on homework. You are cheating on Americans. Next time, hand in your own work.

Nice try. But we got you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Welcome back to POLITICS NATION. Millions of people who lost their homes because of dishonest banks and lenders may finally see the justice they`ve been demanding for years. President Obama has formed a new unit to look into potential criminal charges in the mortgage mess. And today he explained why it`s a top item on his agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRES. BARACK OBAMA (D), UNITED STATES: And so, when I talk about our financial institutions playing by the same rules as folks on Main Street or making sure that unscrupulous lenders aren`t taking advantage of the most vulnerable among us, I do so because I genuinely believe that it will make the economy stronger for everybody, but I also do it because I know that far too many neighbors in our country have been hurt and treated unfairly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: Since the market began collapsing in 2007, more than 11 million property owners have been served with foreclosure notices. And in December, another 205,000 homeowners found out they could, too, soon be on the streets. Is it fair to let those people lose everything they`ve worked for while bankers who caused the crisis walk away with millions?

Joining me is New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Thank you for being here tonight. You said the housing crisis was not a natural disaster. It was a man-made disaster. So why haven`t people been held accountable and in your new position is that what you are going after?

ERIC SCHNEIDERMAN, NY ATTORNEY GENERAL: Yes, this is -- as the President said, this is a very fundamental issue. Our task force is created under the basic American proposition that there has to be one set of rules for everybody. That you have to be held accountable no matter how rich or powerful you are and that the same rules that apply to homeowners to apply to financial institutions. It`s amazing that anyone would treat this at all controversial because this is so fundamentally American. The idea of equal justice under law, you know, is at the heart of this venture to make America what it`s supposed to be.

So, the President when he created our task force and elevated it in the state of the union basically threw down the gauntlet saying, whatever else you may say on the other side, I`m saying this is a country where there`s one set of rules for everybody and the jurisdiction and the resources that we have in this task force really are unprecedented. And we have the ability to go after every aspect of the misconduct that blew up the American economy, as you said. Millions of people foreclosed on, and even more remarkably, $7.4 trillion of home equity lost. You want to know why the gap between the rich and the middle class is so big now?

The wealth of the American working class, the wealthy American middle class was in their homes. And that`s been lost over the last five years. $7.4 trillion. So this is about accountability for those who violated the law. This is about getting relief for those who have suffered. And it`s also about getting the facts out so they cannot rewrite history. Because you listen to some of this dialogue going on, particularly in the republican presidential primary, they are pushing the same sort of deregulation and let everyone play by their own set of rules stuff that blew up the economy in the first place.

SHARPTON: I want to ask you about that. But what bothers me when you look at someone like Mozilo, who was the head of Countywide calling subprime mortgages the most toxic product he`d ever seen while pocketing $661 million in profits. I mean, some of these people that just criminally defrauded people and should be headed to jail.

SCHNEIDERMAN: Well, we just started the joint investigation last week. And I can`t comment on the details of specific cases. But there are three possibilities that we`re pursuing. One is that there was conduct that was legal, but shouldn`t have been legal. And it was market abuse and we have to make sure that the laws are changed or regulations issued under Dodd/Frank to make that illegal. The second is that there was unlawful conduct that doesn`t rise to the level of criminality in which case we should be going after the profits that were obtained and trying to get relief for the homeowners and investors. The third is that, there`s some stuff that may well have been criminal. We`re looking at all of it. My co-chairs on the working group include the head of the criminal division of the Justice Department as well as the civil division. So, we`re going to be looking at everything and looking at all three areas of misconduct.

SHARPTON: All right. We`ll be watching. Now let`s talk a little about the republican. Let`s talk a little about the republican, let`s go a little on the political side. Willard Mitt Romney said in an interview with the "Las Vegas Review" editorial board last fall that foreclosures should, quote, "hit the bottom." Watch this so people won`t think you and I are exaggerating this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Foreclosure process, let it run its course and hit the bottom. Allow investors to buy homes. Put renters in them, fix the homes up and let turn around and come back up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: I mean, how do you respond to something like that?

SCHNEIDERMAN: I think that he is advocating the same kind of deregulatory madness that`s what blew up the economy in the first place. You know, the point of our financial markets is to have a well regulated market so that people play within the boundaries. It`s not a street fight. It`s a football game. The idea is that you have some rules and people know what they are. You can`t have a situation in which the message is some institutions are too big to fail. They will be protected. They get to keep the profits but put the risk back on the public while regular homeowners, you`re on your own. That`s the message he`s delivering, that there 24 sets of rules in this country. One set for the very, very powerful and another set for the average man and woman on the street.

SHARPTON: Now, Republicans think it`s OK for people to lose their home. Here`s House Speaker John Boehner just yesterday talking about the President`s proposal for a new mortgage refinancing plan. This is Boehner.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: And all they`ve done is delay the clearing of the market. The sooner the market clears and we understand where the prices really are will be the most important thing we can do in order to improve home values around the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDERMAN: Clearing of the market means putting all these people out on the street. You know, you can use euphemisms, but the President made an important point in the clip you just showed. Even the federal reserve, which is not some radical housing activist group, said that it is very important for the banks to write down some of this principle, reduce some of the debt because if you have a bad loan, the right thing to do in a business is write down some of the debt. That`s responsible accounting. You reduce the principal so people can be making their payments so you don`t have a $250,000 mortgage on a $200,000 home. That family is not spending any money on other products. They aren`t going out to a restaurant. They are not helping the economy go. They are doing everything they can do to pay a loan that`s just too big.

Even the Federal Reserve said it`s time to write down the principal. Keep more people in their homes. Let them get back to spending and being productive members of society. The social cost of foreclosure, throwing people out, kids missing school. What happens to the community around the empty homes. It`s a disaster. And I think that this -- let the market bottom out. Let people get out in the streets approach. It`s bad for the economy. It`s not true to the American principle of equal justice under law and it`s just inhumane.

SHARPTON: New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Thanks for your time tonight. And good luck on your national assignment.

Ahead -- the national outrage over the Komen foundation pulling its funding from Planned Parenthood. Experts are now saying the health of thousands of women is being put at risk. Turns out it`s all about right wing politics. That`s next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: Outrage is growing against the world`s leading breast cancer charity group, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Charity. After pulling funds from Planned Parenthood for breast cancer exams. The decisions igniting a controversy about the charity putting politics ahead of people. This picture showing a cut ribbon is popping up all over the internet. Komen`s Founder and CEO Nancy Brinker responded in this YouTube video released last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY BRINKER, FOUNDER AND CEO, KOMEN: Recently we implemented new granting strategies and criteria that some have regrettably mischaracterized. We will never bow to political pressure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: She says they are not bowing to political pressure, but we`re getting a closer look into the charity and the picture is very disturbing. Brinker founded the organization in her sister`s name 30 years ago. She`s a prominent republican who served as ambassador under former President George W. Bush. Brinker and her late husband gave over $600,000 to republican. Then there`s Karen Handel, Komen`s senior vice president for Public Policy. She joined Komen just last April after running for Governor of Georgia in 2010 on an anti-abortion platform. She describes herself as a pro-life Christian and said, quote, "I do not support the mission of Planned Parenthood."

After the explosion of outrage, Handel re-tweeted this quote. "Just like a pro-abortion group to turn a cancer organization`s decision into a political bomb to throw. Cry me a freaking river," end of quote. She has since deleted that tweet. But take a look at her twitter bio. It says lifelong conservative republican. Brinker says, they`re not bowing to political pressure but the Atlantic reports three sources with direct knowledge of the Komen decision-making process told me that the rules were adopted in order to create an excuse to cut off Planned Parenthood. The case building against them is strong and is disturbing.

Joining me now is Congresswoman Gwen Moore of Wisconsin. Congresswoman, thanks for your time tonight.

REP. GWEN MOORE, WISCONSIN: Oh, so good to be with you here, Reverend Sharpton.

SHARPTON: Komen says, this was not a political decision. What do you think, Congresswoman?

MOORE: You know, it is really tragic because it does appear to fold into so many other political efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. In recent -- this particular Congress when Republicans have been in charge of the House of Representatives. And just let me say, 200,000 women will be diagnosed with cancer this year. Forty thousand of them will die which is one of the reasons that it was so important to have this relationship between Komen and Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood does four million breast exams each year.

Hundred and seventy thousand of them were made possible through the Komen Foundation. And I tell you, three quarters of the million women every year sort of hesitate and are sent to seek further treatment so that they -- because they might have breast cancer. This is a life-saving exam. Let me tell you, breast cancer is second only to skin cancer in women. And this is a very, very dangerous partisan political play that will harm so many women, especially low income women, Reverend Sharpton.

Now, Congresswoman, for people around the country, they ought to know the truth about Planned Parenthood and what they do. Ninety seven percent of their treatments are cancer screenings, birth control, STD treatments, sexual health education. Only three percent are abortions. Clearly the people that you`ve laid out the numbers that were getting treatment and screenings for cancer, all of this has been at jeopardized in the name of something that is not even factored in here.

MOORE: And let me tell you, Reverend Sharpton, not a penny of these Komen dollars went toward abortions. Not a penny of government money goes toward abortions. And as you`ve mentioned, the majority of the services are for STD treatments for men and women, exams and I tell you, African-Americans and people at or below 150 percent of the poverty level depend on Planned Parenthood for their primary health care. And so this is going to put many, many poor women at risk, particularly as we see the Republican Party trying their best to jettison all kinds of universal health care strategies. Trying to kill Medicaid. We are going -- we are facing really unhealthy future for Americans, particularly women, and particularly women who are poor.

SHARPTON: Now, let me ask you to stand by one minute, Congresswoman. Because I`d like to bring in Patrick Hurd and his wife Betsy. Pat is the CEO of Planned Parenthood of southeastern Virginia and Betsi is currently battling breast cancer and has run in the Komen fund-raising races in the past. Thank you both for joining me this evening.

PAT HURD, CEO, PLANNED PARENTHOOD: Thanks for having us, Reverend.

BETSI HURD, BATTLING BREAST CANCER: Thank you very much.

SHARPTON: Pat, what is your reaction to this decision?

PAT HURD: I`m disappointed. I`m saddened. I`m frustrated. And I`m fearful. I`m especially fearful for the women that are not going to be able to have the life-saving screening, the life-saving breast education that these Komen funds provide. I am hopeful that our supporters stand up and help us in this so that we can continue to serve the communities here in Hampton Rhodes. We are especially concerned because the incidents of breast cancer is one out of six women versus one out of eight nationally. It`s a crying need. And as the congresswoman said, it`s especially a crying need among women of color. So, I hope Komen changes its mind.

SHARPTON: Now, this is personal for you, too, because Betsi your wife is sitting next to you. Betsy, tell us what you are going through now with your health.

BETSI HURD: Yes. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May and had my surgery in June. I have completed my chemotherapy treatments in December and today I just had my very first radiation treatment. It`s very difficult to go through this, and you need to be examined and to catch it as soon as possible so your treatments aren`t the most extreme as such as what I`m having to go through.

SHARPTON: You went through radiation today for the first time?

BETSI HURD: Yes, sir, I did.

SHARPTON: So, when you look at this, Patrick, you are looking at something that you actually are living with, so you absolutely have even more of identifying and empathy with those that you want to continue to serve in your capacity.

PAT HURD: Absolutely. Cancer is nonpartisan. It doesn`t care whether you are republican or democrat, progressive or conservative, it doesn`t care what religion you are. I sit there when Betsi was doing the chemo and politics didn`t come up. All the people around us, the family and friends that were there to support the cancer patients, all they were concerned about was living to tomorrow, to next week, to next month and to next year. And to bring politics into this, to bring that kind of debate into this is shameful. It really is shameful.

SHARPTON: Betsi, if you could talk to some of those that are making this decision about funding, as a woman, as a wife of one working in the vineyard and as one that has this health challenge, what would you say to them?

BETSI HURD: I would say, reconsider this decision. The monies that came from Komen went to educating women about breast cancer and breast exams and went to the exams themselves that are taking -- that are done there at Planned Parenthood. Without this funding, some of that might need to end. I hope our -- the people who go along with Planned Parenthood will continue their funding to us so that we can do this. But it really is, you know, I thought Komen stood for helping women get diagnosed and prevention, actually. And with taking these funds away from one of the organizations that does this for the underserved and underinsured population, I think it`s just a travesty.

MOORE: Let me tell you something. First of all, I want to say that I just -- peace and blessings upon you, Pat and Betsi and hopefully your treatments will work well for you. They`ve made great strides in cancer treatment and Komen Foundation, Planned Parenthood, both of these organizations were at the forefront of early detection and getting women into treatment. You know, today Planned Parenthood advocates for all over the country, Planned Parenthood was able to raise about the same amount of money that they are going to lose from Komen. But it`s not just about the money. It`s about the camaraderie that people had on the nonpartisan basis to be able to walk together, to end this plague for women.

SHARPTON: I`m going to have to butt in. I have a hard break. But you`re absolutely right, Congresswoman. And I hope people continue to stand up in the Congress and correct this. Congresswoman Moore, thank you for your passion on this and being there. Mr. and Mrs. Hurd, bless you the both of you, and thank you for your time tonight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SHARPTON: The republican attack on voting rights is ramping up in 2012. With the one first major blow coming in the crucial swing state of Virginia. The Virginia House has passed a harsh new bill requiring a valid ID in order to vote. It`s expected to be passed in the state Senate and signed into law by Governor Bob McDonald. Just in time to affect the election in November. In 2008, President Obama beat John McCain by only 235,000 votes. Out of nearly 3.7 million cast.

Republicans wouldn`t have to do much to flip this state red. And they`ve apparently decided that suppressing the vote is the way to do it. But these attacks have been going on for decades. On this day, 1965, Martin Luther King, Jr. and hundreds of others were arrested in Selma, Alabama, after conducting a voter registration drive. Back then only one percent of African-Americans in the city were registered to vote. Civil rights hero John Lewis marched with King to fight this kind of injustice. I talked to the congressman recently about the new fight to protect voting rights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN LEWIS (D), GEORGIA: The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. And to be able to participate in the democratic process, to be able to cast a vote should be very simple. Almost like getting a glass of water.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHARPTON: That generation with Dr. King in 1965 marched and fought to protect and get us the right to vote. In March of this year, this generation is going to fight what`s going on in Virginia. We`re going back to Selma, and we`re going to bring national attention to the big fight about maintaining the right that was fought and gotten for us to use our vote.

Thanks for watching. I`m Al Sharpton. "HARDBALL" starts right now.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. END

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